Different Worlds
by XxPhoenix BladexX
Summary: Rinoa Heartilly, an ordinary school girl at Balamb Academy soons find herself in love with the two richest and most popular guys in school. One's a gentleman while the other's an arrogant snob...who would she pick? Squall/Rinoa/Seifer
1. First day

Disclaimer: Squaresoft owns Final Fantasy.  
  
A/n: Those who have watched Meteor Garden or the anime Hana Yori Dango may find the certain parts of the fic kinda familiar.aheh.  
  
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Chapter 1  
  
"Balamb Academy." The 17 year old read out the huge sign in front of the large building she was staring so hardly at that she could burn holes right through the walls with her eyes. (Oh well.)  
  
A rushing figure sped past her, knocking her books out from her arms.  
  
"I'm so sorry, let me help you!" The messy blonde haired guy said as he hurried to pick up her books for her. "Hey! Haven't seen you around here."  
  
"That's cause' I'm new." She snapped.  
  
"Really? Name's Tidus. Star player of our soccer team the Balamb Abes." The blonde gave a supposedly charming smile.  
  
"You wish!" A voice added from behind. A short brunette girl stepped up beside Tidus. "Hi, I'm Selphie. Please accept my apology on my bro's behalf. He's a real klutz sometimes!"  
  
"Hey!" Tidus started to protest.  
  
"*giggles* I'm Rinoa. Pleased to meet you. It's my first day here.Selphie, would you please show me around this place?"  
  
"Okie!"  
  
"Let me join in too!"  
  
"I thought you're already late for that soccer meeting?"  
  
"Ah forget that! What's more important than helping a damsel in distress?"  
  
"He's always like this in front of pretty girls." Selphie whispered to Rinoa.  
  
"Well ladies, shall we?" Tidus walked off, leading the two girls into the academy.  
  
"Yo, Tidus!" A spiky blonde haired guy came running towards the trio. "Oh hey Selphie!" He turned his attention back to Tidus and pointed in the opposite direction. "The meeting is that way. Anyway, have you seen Squall? He didn't turn up either."  
  
"Er.Squall? Nope haven't seen him!"  
  
"You better go now or else Coach Highwind's gonna blow! I'll go look for Squall now."  
  
"I'll be there in a sec!" Tidus turned to Rinoa, "Sorry again! I'll make it up to you another time!"  
  
"Look you don't have t-" Rinoa started but Tidus had already race off.  
  
"Waahh.did you see that? He said hi to me." Selphie said dreamily.  
  
"Huh? Who?"  
  
"Zell Dincht! You know, that guy just now? He's cute huh?"  
  
"Er.School starts at 8.30 right? Well, we've got 'bout a half hour before getting to class.mind showing me where's Locker 35?"  
  
"Oh, it's just right across mine! Come on!" Selphie gestured for Rinoa to follow as she started walking away.  
  
A bevy of girls past them, gossiping among themselves. "Did you hear? Lila Thompson gave Squall Leonhart a cake that she had worked on for hours!" One of the girls said in her high shrilling voice.  
  
"Really?" A red haired girl asked, "What did he do?"  
  
"He picked up the cake." the girl made a dramatic pause, "and smashed it into her face!"  
  
The girls started giggling. "That geek Lila thinks that she'll catch Squall Leonhart's attention with a stupid cake? Who's she fooling?" another girl added.  
  
"Squall Leonhart's just so handsome and charming." the red haired girl gushed.  
  
"Well, I think Seifer Almasy is cuter!" a brunette chipped in.  
  
"No way, Squall Leonhart's way cuter!" the red head protested.  
  
The brunette turned to her friend who had been quiet all the while. "Whadaya think, Quistis? Leonhart or Almasy?"  
  
The blonde snapped out of her daze, "Umm.I dunno.I don't really like either of them." With that, she walked away from the rest.  
  
"Quistis, wait up!" the other girls ran to keep up with their friend.  
  
"What was that all about?" Rinoa questioned as she stared at the figures that disappeared down the corridor.  
  
"Oh, them? They're the cheerleaders.can't stand them."Selphie gritted her teeth as she continued. "The girl with that irritating voice is Tifa, the red head's Aeris, the brunette is Garnet and there's Yuna.that blonde.she's Quistis. She's the nicest one out of all of them."  
  
Rinoa nodded in reply, "And who's the Leonhart and Almasy guy? Mr. Popularity? They sound like total jerks!"  
  
"Shush.you wouldn't want to let anyone hear that!" Selphie squeaked.  
  
"Oh? And what is there to fear?"  
  
"Squall Leonhart, Seifer Almasy, Zell Dincht and Irvine Kinneas have the power to get anyone expelled! The teachers and even the principal fear them! That's cause their rich daddies were the ones that set up this school and are definitely one of the richest men in this region!"  
  
"And that gives them the rights to push others around?"  
  
"I guess so."  
  
Rinoa sigh and shook her head, "Well, they better not try to mess with me cause Rinoa Heartilly is not one to be trifled with!"  
  
"Hmm.if you ask me, I would be a little more careful with my words around here." Selphie answered softly as she looked around to see if anyone could be eavesdropping. "Let's get to class early.what's for your first period?"  
  
"Wait a sec." the raven-haired girl rummaged her bag for her timetable, "Science.Ms Katsuki."  
  
"Cool! We're in the same class! Ms Katsuki is one of the nicest teachers here! We're lucky we didn't get Mr. Olsen.that guy's a real mean ass! I'll show you the other classrooms on our way!"  
  
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"And this girl just came up to me and asked me to accept her cake. The cake looked really horrible, you know? How can she expect me to actually take it out of her scaly hands?"  
  
"Look Squall, you should really learn to get over yourself." Seifer looked at his buddy as he stifled a yawn.  
  
"Hey it's not my fault if the girls are all into me!" Squall smirked.  
  
"Whatever.let's just get to class, k?" The blonde stood up and walked away.  
  
"Fine by me." Squall said as his followed Seifer's lead.  
  
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A/n: Heh, I'm using FF characters' names coz I'm too lazy to come up with suitable names.so the description of the respective characters would not be similar to the original characters and their personality would be different too. Since FF.net just seems to have a problem with Word, pls just ignore any possible mistakes. Well, since you're already reading this, pls just spare a little more of you time and click on that Submit Review button, k? Hehe.Thankies!! 


	2. A 'Pleasent' first meeting

Disclaimer: Me no own Final Fantasy  
  
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Chapter 2  
  
"Here, sit with me." Selphie said as she patted the seat beside her.  
  
Rinoa settled her bag on the table as she looked at a freckled-face girl crying softly at the other end of the classroom. Another girl with blonde hair tied up in a funky way approached her and seemed to whisper a few comforting words as the weeping girl tried her best to hold back her tears.  
  
"That's Lila Thompson." Selphie stated.  
  
The blonde looked up and spotted Selphie. She shook her head slightly as she walked towards the duo.  
  
"It's no good trying to comfort her. She's really into Leonhart..." The blonde said to Selphie in a helpless voice.  
  
"Don't worry, Rikku! Lila's a strong girl! I'm sure she'll get over it soon! Oh, Rikku, meet Rinoa! It's her first day here!" Selphie introduced her friend who had been silent all this while.  
  
"Nice to meet you!" Rinoa smiled. Rikku return her smile, "Oh since you're new here, here a good piece of advice: Try your best to stay out of Leonhart's, Almasy's, Dincht's and Kinneas' way. Don't ever address them by their first name either and your four years here would pass peacefully."  
  
Rinoa gritted her teeth, "I've heard of them...met the Dincht guy once and I can't stand Leonhart already! Who does he think he is? He just shattered an innocent girl's pride and self-confidence within a split second! How good looking can this jerk be that he's able to win the hearts of about half the female population of the school?!"  
  
"Umm...just keep in mind about what I say, k" Rikku answered nervously for fear that someone else might have heard Rinoa's outburst.  
  
'Why does everyone seem so afraid of this Leonhart guy? Is he such a grand and powerful figure? Argh, who cares about him? Thinking about him makes my blood boil, wonder what'll happen when I actually meet him?'  
  
"PLEASE, DON'T!!" A shout interrupted Rinoa's thoughts. The students rushed out of their respective classrooms to watch the commotion in the corridor.  
  
A messy brown haired guy was trying his best to change his teacher's mind of something...  
  
"I'm sorry. But this is the principal's order and I'm just relaying the message...you're expelled." The teacher plainly stated.  
  
"My parents worked hard to send me to this school! You can't jus-"  
  
"Look Tyler, you know that this is a school for the upper class. If you can't support yourself financially, you'll be kicked out sooner or later! You're a bright student and I'm sure you'll still be able to get somewhere...besides, you know what you did..."  
  
"Damn it! All I did was told that damn Leonhart off! If this is how things here work, and everyone is so afraid those assholes, I'll gladly leave this darn place!" With that, he stormed off.  
  
The teacher sighed and looked around at the crowd which had gathered, "What are you looking at? Get back to your class and wait for you teacher!"  
  
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"Hahaha! Good riddance to that loser!" Squall gloated as he heard a group of students gossip about the incident that just occurred.  
  
Seifer sighed and shook his head.  
  
"What did that guy do to you?" Irvine inquired.  
  
"Didn't you hear about some freak who told Squall to take back what he said?" Zell asked.  
  
"Oh, so that's it?"  
  
"What did you mean by that? Everyone knows not to offend me and of course I can't just let this guy get away with what he said!" Squall barked.  
  
"Cool it mister! I was juz askin."  
  
"Oh yeah, why didn't you turn up for that soccer meeting?" Zell asked.  
  
"Cos' I didn't want to!" Squall snapped.  
  
"Well, are we going to class?" Irvine fiddled with his cowboy hat.  
  
"Nah, let's just stay here for a while."  
  
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"Good morning class! Now let's get down to work! First, please hand up your work assignment that I gave you last week."  
  
A hand rose up. "Umm...Ms Katuki, I didn't manage to complete it..."  
  
"What happened now, Zidane? Dog ate your homework again?" The teacher joked.  
  
"Not really...you see, *pretends to cry* a very close aunt of mine *sniff* passed away a few days ago..."  
  
"Oh really? And how many aunts and uncles do you have exactly? If I remembered correctly, 4 aunts and 7 uncles of yours just happened to pass away mysteriously and you couldn't complete your work because of that..."  
  
"Damn!" Zidane muttered under his breath.  
  
"I'll be expecting your assignment tomorrow, Mr. Tribal."  
  
Snickers and giggles could be heard in the classroom.  
  
"Class let's get down to work now. Today, we'll be experimenting if our body fluids passed out are acidic or alkaline. Selphie, Rinoa, could you girls kindly get fourteen beakers of the fluid from the lab upstairs?"  
  
"Yes, Ms Katsuki." They answered in unison as they made their way out.  
  
"Yucks, how lucky we are to go collect urine!" Selphie made a face as they stepped into the lab.  
  
"Let's just do it and get it over with." Rinoa sighed.  
  
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"C'mon guys, let's get to class now." Squall said as he made his way up the stairs.  
  
"You sure are fickle-minded." Irvine yawned.  
  
Seifer kept his silence as he followed Squall's lead.  
  
"Oh, did I tell you about that hot chick I dated last nigh-" Irvine started.  
  
"I'm going before I die from listening to another of your stories." Zell walked away from the blabbering guy.  
  
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"Steady, steady." Rinoa whispered to herself to calm her shaky hands as she carried a tray of seven full beakers of urine.  
  
Selphie stayed close behind her trying to keep steady too.  
  
"AHHH!" Rinoa screamed as she slipped and the tray flew out of her grasp.  
  
Everything seemed to be in slow motion as she watched the fluid happily fly and splashed on a person who had appeared from around the corner. Rinoa winced at her own stupidity.  
  
She slowly opened her eyes to see a figure towering over her angrily with three other guys who managed to escape from her little accident, standing behind him with their jaws hanging.  
  
'Yikes! It'll be hard to get that liquid off his clothes...' Rinoa thought guiltily.  
  
"Squall Leonhart!" Selphie gasped bringing Rinoa to an awful realization about what she just did...  
  
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A/n: That's it for chapter 2! Thanx for reading this and I hope you'll review too! ^_^ Pls vote if Rinoa should be with Squall or Seifer and if Selphie should be with Irvine or Zell too! A big thank you to those who have already read and reviewed!  
  
Quycksylver: Hmm...I used to think that Squall was a jerk too! Anyway, thankies for reviewing and I hope you'll continue reading! ^_^  
  
Lionheart: Hiya! Thanx you soo much! I hope you'll be able to read this before you go off...  
  
Angel: So, you've watched Meteor Garden too? Don't you think that Huaze Lei looks A LOT like Squall? :)  
  
FloralBlackMoon: Hope you'll keep reading! Thanks for ze review! ^_~  
  
Christal_Cloud: Yup, Seifer's the nice guy here! Glad to see that the change is favourable! Thanks for reviewing! ^_^  
  
Rinoa41269: Hey!! Thanx for reviewing!! *Sniff* It's so sad you wouldn't be updating for a while...but when you do, I'll still be here to read it! Good luck with your writer's block! ^_^ 


	3. To leave or not to leave

Disclaimer: I do not own any FF characters...:(  
  
A/n: Thank you soo much to all who had reviewed! I really appreciated it! Here's chapter 3!  
  
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Chapter 3  
  
'That's Squall Leonhart?! Oh shit...'  
  
Squall clenched his fist, mentally reminding himself that he can't hit a girl.  
  
"I...I'm so sorry!" The poor girl stuttered.  
  
"You will leave this school and get out of my sight or you'll be wishing that you parents had never brought your pathetic existence to this world." Squall growled and stormed off.  
  
"Woah! You're in the record book for making him this pissed, lady." Irvine added casually as he walked past with Zell keeping his silence.  
  
"He really meant what he said. My condolences." Seifer said emotionlessly as continued walking.  
  
'What's that supposed to mean? I'm not gonna give in to him...am I?'  
  
Rinoa slowly inhaled more air, trying to swallow the whole incident. 'Damn! How's that for my first day?'  
  
"Rinoa..." Selphie called for her friend softly, "I'll...I'll go get some more of that liquid!" With that, she rushed off, leaving her friend still rooted to the ground.  
  
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"Squall, where're you going?" Zell panted as he caught up with his friend who was probably walking as fast as a chocobo would run.  
  
"Home! Where else do you expect? You think I'll parade in this?"  
  
"Well, I'm getting to class, heh, trying to score with that hot babe sitted two rows in front of me! See ya!" Irvine waved to his friends as he entered the classroom down the corridor.  
  
"I'll follow you! I dun wanna go through another of Mr. Olsen's lecture." Zell said.  
  
"What about you?" Squall asked Seifer.  
  
"I'm with you guys. Could you ring your chauffer, you really need to change quick." Seifer answered as he covered his nose.  
  
"Stop making things worse for me." Squall muttered as he took out his phone.  
  
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*At the Caraways' home*  
  
"Mum, I'm home!" Rinoa called out tiredly.  
  
"How's your first day?" Julia asked happily.  
  
"Great, just great..." Rinoa answered as she climbed up the stairs to her room. "Mum, what would you do if I wanted to leave Balamb Academy?"  
  
"That bad a day, huh? Noa, you know that your father and I worked really hard to get you in. Things would have been easier for us if your father was still a gener-"  
  
"No use brooding over it! It has been two years since he stepped down already!"  
  
"Yes, and I don't see why you still won't want to change your last name back!"  
  
Rinoa had adapted her mother's last name since she was seven as she was sick of how people would treat her differently and were probably even scared of her because of her status as the daughter of one of the most powerful man in the region. Scared of her...she wouldn't want that. Rinoa Heartilly would be able to live an ordinary life that Rinoa Caraway could never have!  
  
"Mum!" Rinoa said frustrated, "We've been through this conversation a thousand times! And besides, Heartilly sounds nicer than Caraway!" (A/n: I think so too! Don't you?)  
  
"Back to your school, what's so bad about it? It's of the upper class, of the rich, life that would be so much more comfortable, wouldn't it?" Julia looked at her daughter who seemed to be lost in thought.  
  
'Life there comfortable? You will leave this school and get out of my sight or you'll be wishing that you parents had never brought your pathetic existence to this world. Those words from THE Squall Leonhart who could do anything with a snap of his fingers? How is my life there ever possibly gonna be peaceful? Besides, we aren't even part of the rich, why bother so hard about fitting in?'  
  
"Mum, about leaving the school? It was just a thought..."  
  
"Okay...go take a warm bath now, I'll call you for dinner later."  
  
"Got it." Rinoa called from her room. 'That's it! I'm getting back to school tomorrow! No way am I gonna let some jerk push me around!"  
  
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*Next day at school*  
  
Rinoa nervously walked into the academy as she griped her books so hard that she left imprints of her nails in it. She prayed silently that somehow the horrid incident had just vaporized in time.  
  
"Rinoa!"  
  
The young girl found her friend calling out to her. "Hey Selphie!" Her voice quivered even as she tried her best to sound cheerful, "Err...what's new my friend?"  
  
"Rinoa, do you know how much trouble you'll be in if Squall Leonhart finds you her-"  
  
"My, my, look who we have here." A mocking voice interrupted Selphie's words. Rinoa looked up to see the person she feared and loathed most with his lackeys close behind.  
  
"Did someone forget what I said yesterday or is that someone trying to defy me?" Squall spat his last few words.  
  
Rinoa looked down for a second, frightened and feeling pathetic. 'No! Who's afraid of this mutated looking, messy haired, leather clothed, Mr. Macho wannabe freak?!'  
  
"Hey yo-" She started.  
  
Squall raised his hand to her face cutting her off, "You've had my warning, now I'll just have to keep my word." He turned his back to her and walked off.  
  
"Get out of my way!" Squall barked as he pushed a girl who happened to be unlucky enough to be crossing his path, knocking her books out of her hold. Irvine and Zell trailed behind ignorant of what he did. Seifer bent down to help the girl to her feet and proceeded to pick her books up for her.  
  
"Thank you so much, Almasy!" The girl gushed as though her prince charming had came to her rescue.  
  
'At least, one of them ain't *that* bad...' Rinoa thought not knowing that a smile had stealthily crept to her face as she watched Seifer disappear around the corner.  
  
"Uh oh! Rin didn't you hear what Leonhart said! Aw man! You're in biiiggg troub-" Selphie looked at her friend who was spacing out. "Err.Rin? You there?" She started waving her hands in front of Rinoa's face.  
  
"Huh? Did you say something?" Rinoa asked as she snapped out of her daze.  
  
"Whacha smiling at?"  
  
"N-n-nothing! Umm...Selph?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"What's the name of that guy with the cowboy hat?" Rinoa inquired, trying to figure who was Mr. Nice Guy.  
  
"Oh that's Irvine Kinneas! He's a flirt!"  
  
"So that blonde guy is Seifer Almasy then?"  
  
"Since you've already met Zell Dincht, I'm guessing you asking about the other blonde...yeah, that's Seifer Almasy." Selphie confirmed.  
  
"Oh, okay!" Rinoa smiled.  
  
"Hmm..." Selphie said thoughtfully, "Well, let's get to class!"  
  
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"What are you planning to do about that girl?" Zell asked.  
  
"She's gonna get 'The Treatment'. So, Irvine have you found out what's her name?" Squall answered.  
  
"Rinoa Heartilly. Damn, she's really cute too bad you want her out of here. I could have scored big time! Oh, by the way, what's 'The Treatment'?"  
  
Squall raised an eyebrow, "It's 'The you-hafta-get-out Treatment'!"  
  
"Umm...what's that anyway?"  
  
Squall slapped his forehead, "Man, don't you guys ever learnt?"  
  
"So what is it?" Seifer asked, obviously irritated.  
  
"Well, it's *whisper whisper whisper*"  
  
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A/n: Hmm...so what is 'The Treatment'? Heh, I don't have a clue either! Anyway, pls keep up with the votes on the pairings: Rinoa with Squall or Seifer, Selphie with Irvine or Zell. You can vote more than once so pls vote and review everybody!! Thanks!! Oh, and should I keep Zell's obsession for hotdogs and should Rinoa still have Angelo by her side?  
  
Exhile87: Hey, thanx for ze review! Never knew that I could make one laugh that hard! ^_^  
  
Lionheart: Hiya!! Nice to have you back! (Since you're reading this, you're definitely back already!!) ^()^  
  
Quycksylver: Hmm...so you're not much of a Rinoa fan then? Then I'll present you a huge THANK YOU for even bothering to read this!! ^_^ Oh and I'm considering your previous vote for a Selvine and not Zelphie, k?  
  
Athena88: You're a huge Squinoa fan aren't you? Hehe, should have guess you'll stick to voting for a Squinoa. Thanx for reading and reviewing!  
  
FloralBlackMoon: Sorry, but the romance would hafta wait cos, right now Squall is still the big bad jerk! Lol! Thanks for the review! ^_^  
  
GeminiGirlz: Don't worry about the ending, I don't even have chapter 4 up in my folder yet! Besides, the final pairing is in the hands of the reviewers! Thanks for r&r-ing! ^-^  
  
Rinoa41269: Yupz, I'm trying hard to make Squall OOC then it'll kick up a big fuss on whether those two would still end up together! ^_~  
  
Squall's_angel: Well, I guess I'll just have to leave you hanging for one more chapter to find out what he'll do to her!! I'll try to have the next chapter up asap k? Thankies! ^^  
  
Spira r: Hmm...a FF10 fan, huh? Thanx for reviewing! :)  
  
Icedragon6171: Hope you're reading this chapter too! Thanx for the review! :)  
  
Spork: Thanks for the votes, hope you'll review again! ^_^  
  
Lady_in_Blue: Thanks so much for even bothering to reading this!! ^_^  
  
angel: Hehe, I was just stating their resemblance but I thought it would be kinda fun if I cast him as Daoming Si instead of Huaze Lei. ^-^  
  
DHANY: Thanx for the reviews!! Actually, I can kinda picture Tifa as a cheerleader, but not Quistis and Garnet, hehe. Thanx again!! :)  
  
teya: Thanx soooo much for reading this!! As much as I wanted, I'm can't make her a heartthrob (Does getting Squall and Seifer to fall head over heels for her enough?). Umm...can't reveal the plot I have in mind but I do hope you'll continue reading!! Thanks! ^_^  
  
Isidra_C: Thank you for your reviews!! Actually, I always thought that Selphie was more compatible with Zell...but it's all up to the reviewers!! I appreciate your vote!! ^^  
  
SummonerYuna: AAHHH!! Thanks so much for your review!! I really love your fic!! Pls update it soon! You know which fic I'm talking about! ^-^  
  
Neoshipper: You bet Rinny's gonna be in trouble!! Thanx for reading and reviewing!! :) 


	4. A tough life

Disclaimer: You know the drill...I do not own Final Fantasy.  
  
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Chapter 4  
  
Rinoa parked her bike locked in a corner of the school's car park. As she walked up to the stairs, she spotted three cheerleaders gossiping as usual.  
  
"There that girl's Rinoa Heartilly!" One of them pointed at Rinoa as she walked past.  
  
'What's that all about?' Rinoa thought irritated by the way the girl, no, Tifa, the girl with the annoying voice as she vaguely remembered Selphie introducing, was talking about her as though she was a freak.  
  
"Is she that poor? I mean, besides the Tilmitts everyone else gets to school chauffeured and there she is, arriving on a run down motorcycle. Man is she gonna bring down the school's reputation!" Aeris said with disgust.  
  
"Remember what Squall Leonhart told everyone to do?" Yuna questioned the two girls.  
  
"Oh yeah!" Tifa said as she let out a series of ear piercing giggles. "Let's think of something!"  
  
The girls walk off as Rinoa glared at them. "What is that jerk up to this time?" Rinoa thought aloud.  
  
"He's got everyone against you, ya know?"  
  
Rinoa looked up and saw a well-built guy and a silver-haired girl staring back at her. "What do you mean? If so, then why are you telling me that?" Rinoa questioned, a little confuse by the sudden appearance of the duo.  
  
"SEIFER SENT. BE CAREFUL." The expressionless girl spoke those four words and ran away.  
  
"Hey wait up, Fu!" The tall guy took off after her.  
  
'I think I should leave this for now.' Rinoa thought as she rubbed her temples.  
  
Unknown to her, a certain figure had sneaked up behind her and stuck something on her back...  
  
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"Oh Heartilly, we know that already! You don't have to publicize it, you know?" Garnet said sarcastically as Rinoa sat her books on the table beside Selphie's.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Rinoa asked, baffled by sudden snickers that filled the classroom.  
  
Quistis walked up to her and whispered, "Um...look at your back."  
  
Rinoa tilted her head back and noticed a piece of paper stuck to her. She quickly grabbed it off and read the large letters printed on it:  
  
I AM SUCH A HUGE FRIGGIN' LOSER  
  
"Who did this?" She barked, furiously.  
  
Selphie appeared in time to hear Rinoa shouting at everyone. "Er...what's up, Rin?"  
  
"Some jerk stuck this on my back!" Rinoa blew up as she held the paper out.  
  
"Why would anyone do this?" Selphie wondered aloud then widen her eyes as the realization hit her.  
  
"You know that anyone who offends Squall Leonhart would get their payback..." Yuna added.  
  
'So that's why...looks like he won't let me off...' Rinoa slumped down on her chair and heard a 'splat' sound. 'Huh?'  
  
"Teacher's coming!" Some random student yelled.  
  
The Maths teacher walked into the classroom. "Good morning class. Please hand in the assignments that were given a week ago."  
  
"Sir," Rinoa stood up and the class exploded with laughter. Rinoa ignored them and continued, "I think you might be in the wrong class...there isn't maths today."  
  
"Miss Heartilly, I'm afraid that you plan isn't going to work just because you forgot to bring you books. I've informed Zachary to tell the class that I've swap periods with your History teacher because I need to prepare you for your maths test this Friday and I don't see how you could miss that important piece of information unless you were day dreaming."  
  
"Huh? But nobody told me about it!" Rinoa protested.  
  
"Lies, lies, lies. I think you have an appointment in the detention room after school today. Oh, and could you please make a trip to the washroom and clean off that spot on your jeans?" Once again the class burst into laughter.  
  
Rinoa looked behind and found a large spot of black ink on her butt. The liquid on her chair was still wet and was slowly dripping onto the floor. She felt her face turn into multiple shades of red, feeling both embarrassed and furious.  
  
Rinoa ran out of the classroom and to the ladies. She locked herself in a cubicle and started to cry. As hard as she tried to fight back her tears she couldn't help but feel it flow down her cheeks. Feelings of fear, anger, embarrassment, frustration filled her.  
  
She slowly regained her composure and walked over to the basin to clean the mess. 'Sigh, there goes my favourite pair of jeans, oh well...'  
  
When all that could be removed was gone, Rinoa made her way back. Sadly, she bumped into her nemesis.  
  
"Woah, I'm shocked! You're still here?" Squall gasped mockingly. Rinoa pushed past him and walked away.  
  
"We'll see how long you'll last!" he shouted.  
  
'Creep.'  
  
"Rinoa!" Selphie ran over to her friend as she entered the classroom. "You okay?"  
  
"I'm fine...I guess." Rinoa looked around to see that the teacher wasn't there anymore. Apparently she had been waiting in the washroom for an hour till the maths lesson was over.  
  
"Didn't think you would return..." Garnet spoke up. "Hey shut annoying gab for once alright!" Selphie retorted leaving Garnet was stumped for a moment.  
  
Rinoa walked back to her table and found her seat cleaned. 'Thanks Selphie.' she thought gratefully as she looked at the hurdles of blackened tissues around Selphie's table.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The next few days got by with Rinoa getting glued to her chair, tripped and falling face flat on muddy grounds, more rude remarks stuck on her back, getting chased by wild dogs, spending more time in the detention room and well, almost anything else one could think of.  
  
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!" Rinoa screamed at the top of her lungs. "I hate you all! Damn you Squall Leonhart and your three lackeys! I hate you!" She was obviously pissed of being pushed onto the soggy field again.  
  
Rinoa's head shot up as she heard a rustling in the bushes. She spun around to find no one present. Rinoa had been here, in the isolated flower garden behind the school building a few times to scream her anger away...never once had she met anyone here and decided to label this place as her hiding spot. She had stumbled into this area as she tried to hide from the dogs that some jackass had sent after her.  
  
"Who's there?" Rinoa called out. She picked a stone up in case she had to ward off another jerk who was ready to play a prank on her.  
  
A tall shadowy figure appeared around the corner. Rinoa took aim and threw the stone at the intruder without bothering to find out who it was. After all it probably was another prankster since the only one on her side was Selphie and Tidus and they were both, well...petite.  
  
"Ow! Hey, what did you do that for?"  
  
'Huh?'  
  
The mysterious figure walked out of the shadows. "You don't go around throwing stones at everybody, you know?"  
  
"Seifer Almasy?"  
  
Seifer looked up, "Yeah, that's me."  
  
"So you've heard what I was screaming just now?"  
  
"Well, I've heard you a couple of times before...you would just run in all of a sudden and start yelling how much you hate this school, Squall and basically everybody." Seifer started.  
  
'Yikes, he's been here all this time?' Rinoa thought.  
  
"And if you're wondering whether I've been here all the while, well let's just say that I hate being around crowds and this is a get away place for me. The only reason why I didn't bother you when you were screaming is because I believe that everyone deserves their privacy," he continued.  
  
"You're one of them aren't you? Why are you even talking to me? And why did you send those two to warn me about what was gonna happen a few days ago?" Rinoa inquired.  
  
"Hey, why are you interrogating me as if I committed some huge crime? I did what I wanted to do and I don't think that anyone should deserve that kinda treatment." Seifer stated. "Here, clean your face." He said softly as he handed her a handkerchief.  
  
Rinoa hesitantly accepted it and wiped her face. 'He's different from them...'  
  
"Hey! Your...um...handkerchief!" Rinoa called out as Seifer started to walk off.  
  
"Keep it, it's worthless now." Seifer answered without turning back.  
  
'I stand corrected, he's just another jerk!'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Rinoa walked back to the car park for her bike. She gasped as she saw the condition of her motorcycle. Parts were missing and the remaining parts were either damaged or badly vandalized.  
  
Rinoa inhaled deep breaths trying to hold back her tears and anger. 'No! I won't be pushed around!'  
  
"I'm not afraid of anyone! Show me what you've got!" Rinoa shouted in the empty car park.  
  
SPLASH!  
  
Next thing she knew, she was thoroughly drenched. She looked up and saw a bevy of giggling girls disappear round the corridor on the level above.  
  
"That's it! Squall Leonhart, we'll see who's boss!" Rinoa exclaimed as she kicked the car nearest to her.  
  
"Ow!" Rinoa yelped as she held her foot. 'I'm gonna need some help...'  
  
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A/n: Yeah, that's another chapter down. Rinoa is definitely gonna stand up to that jerk next chapter! Right now, pls review and keep voting on the couplings! Especially Selphie's coupling since the votes for Selvines and Zelphies are *really* close!  
  
Oh, and somebody pllllllleeeeease tell me if I should keep Zell's obsessions for hotdogs and whether Rinoa should still have Angelo! Pls review everybody and thanks for reading!  
  
angel: Thanks for reading and reviewing again! I love the character clash too! ^_~  
  
Rinoa-sa: Thanx for voting and reviewing and I hope you'll update your fic soon! ^-^  
  
flutter: Uh huh, I've decided to make an FF8 version of meteor garden since it's a pity that lots of people have missed such a great show! Do you happen to be a fan of F4? :)  
  
rebekka: Thanx for the review! ^_~  
  
teya: Thank you soo much for the review! Don't worry, I'll make sure that lots of guys would go completely nuts for her, k? Hehe! ^_^  
  
hay lin: Thanx for reading and reviewing! I'll try to add you idea but the cheerleading part may be impossible...  
  
KC: Thanks for the review and I would definitely keep that idea in mind! ^_~  
  
Angelprinzcess29: Thanks for voting and r&r-ing! Hope you'll keep reading! I love you fic - Never Free! ^_^  
  
Athena88: Thank you for reviewing! Keep writing too, k? Never seen any fics from you in a while...:(  
  
Icedragon6171: I really appreciate your review! Thanks soo much! ^_^  
  
Geminigirlz: Thanx for your votes!! And a huge thankies for checking out my other fic!! ^^  
  
FloralBlackMoon: Thanx sooo much for your votes! Your idea would definitely be in use!! There wouldn't be much focus on Selphie since the main couplings are Squinoa and Seinoa. But pls do vote anyway! Let's just say that Zell's and Irvine's personalities would be their original one, k? Thanks and love ya!!  
  
SummonerYuna: Thanks for the review! Rinoa does have her eye set on Seifer now, but there will still be Squinoa and Seinoa stuff somehow! Thanks again! ^_^  
  
PinkStarz: So you've voted for a Seinoa? Okie, the votes for a Seinoa has increased again! Thanks a bunch! ^_^  
  
Squall's girl: Don't cha worry! Rinoa would just fall for Seifer first and well...whether she'll still love him in the end will all depend on the lovely reviewers!! ^_~  
  
HoneyD: Thanks for reading and reviewing!! ^_^  
  
Digi*girl: Hehe, thanx for voting! Don't worry the Mr. Nice guy in Squall will kick in soon!! Maybe in umm...about a few chapters?? Thanx again!! ^-^  
  
Angelfaced: My thoughts exactly! Thanx for the review! Keep voting, k? ^_^  
  
Lil Angel: Thanks soo much for reviewing! I really appreciate the votes!! ^^  
  
Rinoa41269: Hiz!! Thanx for voting!! Whether Squall's gonna be nice...you'll find out soon!!  
  
IsidraC: Thankies for voting again!! I'll add more Seinoa stuff, k?  
  
Lionheart: Hizzzz!! Thanks sooo much for the review and good luck with catching up on the stories, which I bet you already, have!! Ttyl on MSN!! ^_^  
  
Trajik007: Haha, thanks for the vote but I'm afraid that's the only vote for that pairing!! Lol but thanx again anyway!! 


	5. Payback Time

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy belongs to Squaresoft.  
  
A/n: Here's chapter 5!! Read on guys!! Oh yeah, I'm really confused with Angelo's gender as some say that Angelo's a he while others say she. So in this fic, Angelo's gonna be an *it*. ^_^  
  
Special thanks to FloralBlackMoon.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 5  
  
"Mum! I'm home!" Rinoa called out as she closed the door behind her.  
  
Angelo started barking and ran up to its owner. Rinoa giggled, "Nice to see ya too, Angelo!"  
  
In the corner of her eye, Rinoa spotted a note stuck on the wall: "Out at Aunt Marie's. Your lunch is in the fridge. Love, mum."  
  
"Guess it's just you and I, Angelo!" Rinoa sighed and dump her food into the microwave oven.  
  
Angelo barked in reply.  
  
"Remember about the creep I told you about? The one who has been making my life a living hell?"  
  
Angelo just sat down and looked back up to her.  
  
"I've decided that I have enough of it and I'm gonna do something real mean to him. Any suggestions?" Rinoa asked thoughtfully.  
  
Angelo got up and walked into the toilet, kicking the door close behind it.  
  
"Well, thanks a lot! Here's a friend in need and all you do is to go answer nature's call!" Rinoa pouted, arms in an akimbo.  
  
"Hey...wait a minute...that gives me a great idea! Thanks Angelo!" Rinoa shouted as she ran up to her room.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Morning, Mrs. Tucker!" Rinoa greeted the cafeteria lady.  
  
"Good morning my child. Was what I heard true? About Mr. Leonhart giving you trouble?" The 50-year-old lady inquired.  
  
"To tell you the truth...yeah...I offended him by accident you see. That's why I'll like to make it up to him. Could you add this to his meal?" Rinoa handed her a brown paper bag, "It's my mum's special recipe you see and it'll help enhance the taste of *any* meal. It's that great! But please don't tell him about it!"  
  
'Is she gonna buy that lame excuse?' Rinoa bit her lips.  
  
"Of course! Anything for you, dear." The lady smiled.  
  
"Thanks! I'll be off to class now!" Rinoa winked.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hi Rin! Whacha so happy for?" Rikku asked.  
  
Selphie looked at Rinoa with curiosity.  
  
"Heh, nothing...you'll see. You guys are having lunch at the school's cafeteria right?" Rinoa smiled.  
  
"Uh huh." They nodded slowly.  
  
"Good." Rinoa beamed, "Mwahahahahaha!"  
  
"Rinoa, are you sick? You should have stayed at home..." Selphie said, a little scared about her friend's sudden outburst.  
  
"Er...no I'm just fine. Sorry about that." Rinoa blushed. 'Aw man, did I just laughed out loud?'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The dismissal bell rang.  
  
"So what you planning to do for that project Mr. Mclean just issued us?" Selphie questioned her friend.  
  
Rinoa continued walking on with a silly grin pasted on her face.  
  
"Hey! I'm talking to you!"  
  
"Huh? Oh...I dunno, haven't got any idea yet...meet ya at the cafeteria, k?" With that, Rinoa sped off.  
  
"She sure is acting weird today." Selphie scratched her head.  
  
"Make way! They're selling hotdogs today!" A blurred figure sped past her.  
  
"Zell Dincht?!" Selphie looked at the hotdog in her lunch pack. 'Should I?'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Sold out?! How could that be? Argh, just remember to reserve at least three for me next time!"  
  
Zell sulked all the way to his seat where his three buddies were busy stuffing themselves.  
  
"Want one?" Irvine held out a drumstick.  
  
"Nah, I've lost my appetite." Zell muttered.  
  
"Umm, Dincht? Here, take this, I made it myself." The petite girl shyly handed him a hotdog.  
  
"For me, thanks!" Zell proceeded to gulp down the food.  
  
'That was fast...and he didn't even notice me...' Selphie thought, disheartened.  
  
Irvine sensed the girl's disappointment. "Hey doll face, you free tonight?" Irvine winked, giving her his infamous grin.  
  
"Um...my name's Selphie and yeah I'm free tonight, Kinneas..." Selphie's voice trailed off.  
  
"Call me Irvine and does 7pm at Timber pub sound fine with you?"  
  
"Sure! I'll be off now, bye Irvine...and Dincht." Selphie started to walk away. 'Oh gosh! Did I just agree to go out with Kinneas?'  
  
"Hey Selphie!" Zell called out. Selphie felt her heart skipped a beat. "Thanks again for the hotdog! And you don't hafta call me by my last name. It's Zell to you, k?"  
  
"K!" Selphie nodded. 'Omigosh! Zell actually remembers my name! Wow...oh gosh, I can't think! And Kinneas, no Irvine, just asked me out! Whoa the two guys that I've had a crush on for ages just noticed me! But I know, I definitely like Zell more...sigh, why couldn't he be the one to ask me out?'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hmm... I didn't know they were selling chicken chop today." Zell said as he eyed Squall who was about to dig in.  
  
"Of course, *I* don't have to follow their daily menu. Just hafta tell them what I want at the start of the day and they'll get it prepared. Mrs. Tucker mentioned that some girl helped her with this meal...better be good." Squall said as he stabbed the meat with his knife.  
  
"The gravy looks awfully black..." Seifer commented.  
  
"It's supposed to be black pepper sauce." Squall took a bite. "Oh god! This tastes like shit!" he yelled as spat the piece of meat out.  
  
Everyone at the cafeteria looked up on hearing the mighty Leonhart's outburst.  
  
"That's cause it *is* shit." A voice spoke up. "It's my pet dog's in fact."  
  
Squall looked up to see Rinoa standing in front of him, trying to keep herself from rolling on the floor and bursting with laughter.  
  
Zell and Irvine had their jaws hanging while Seifer sat back as a small grin crept to his face. 'Squall has finally been outdone...boy is his reputation at stake.'  
  
Squall just stared back at her with disbelief, his mind a total blank.  
  
"Well, you wanted me out of here. Guess what? I'm not leaving. If you really can't stand the sight of me, then I guess *you'll* have to go. Thanks so much for making my first few weeks here such a memorable time. This is just my special way of saying thank you." As the last word left her lips, Rinoa spun on her heels and briskly walked out of the cafeteria.  
  
There was silence...  
  
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU ALL LOOKING AT?" Squall roared when he noticed hundreds of people staring at him.  
  
Everyone quickly got back to what they were doing and chatted as though nothing unusual had happened.  
  
"Whoa, look out Squall! I think you've finally met your match." Irvine remarked.  
  
Squall kept his gaze locked on the doors that Rinoa had left through. 'Hmm...she's the first who actually had the guts to pull off something like that...not bad...'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Rinoa wasn't looking as she ran away from the cafeteria and out of school.  
  
"AAHH!" Rinoa collided into someone as she fell on her butt.  
  
"Hey you ok Rin?"  
  
Rinoa raised her head and saw Tidus' concerned face.  
  
"Yeah I'm fine."  
  
"I can't believe you actually did that!" Tidus exclaimed. "Way to go!"  
  
"You were there?" Rinoa widened her eyes.  
  
"Nah, I was at the soccer field but I could see what was going on in the cafeteria."  
  
"Heh, I couldn't believe that I did that too! Do you know how scared I was? My heart was pounding a-and when I said that I was like 'whoa am I really doing this?' I was really really terrified that he might d-"  
  
"Whoa, relax Rin. Take a deep breath, you did a great job. So there!" Tidus grinned.  
  
Rinoa let out a laugh, "Well, I guess I better be going. See ya tomorrow!" she waved and walked off.  
  
Tidus smiled as he watched Rinoa disappeared down the street.  
  
"You like her dontcha?"  
  
"Huh?" Tidus spun around to see his sister grinning away.  
  
"Hahaha, my big brother is in love with my best friend!" Selphie declared.  
  
"Hey! She's just a friend ok?"  
  
"Uh huh! I believe you." Selphie said as she walked away.  
  
"I'm serious!"  
  
Selphie covered her ears as she started singing. "Lalala. Wise men say, only fools rush in, but I can't help falling in love with you."  
  
"C'mon. Listen!"  
  
"Shall I say would it be a sin? If I can't help falling in love with you."  
  
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A/n: Ok, I guess this chapter has answered many of the reviewers' requests. Firstly, I added more attention for Selphie, more guys are falling for Rinoa and finally, it has been a sweet revenge for Rinoa! ^_^! Sorry if it wasn't mean enough, but I couldn't let Rinoa be too mean to a guy she's gonna fall in love with! ^_~ Keep up with the votes, I really need them cos the votes for Selphie's coupling are *still* really close:) If you have the time, please check out my other fic In The Past that has just reached completion.  
  
Now, on to the thank you's for my lovely reviewers:  
  
Squall's sibling: Don't worry, Squall wouldn't be like that throughout the entire fic! ^_~  
  
Exhile87: Heh, I know Squall was one hellva ass!! Whether it'll be a Squinoa or Seinoa...well, you'll hafta vote!! ^_^  
  
Rinoa-sa: Guess you've found out what Rinoa said! Thanx for the review!  
  
Athena88: Well, Rinoa got back at him! Heh, thanks for the idea anyway! ^_^  
  
Bimp Lizkit: Thanks for voting! Well, Squall sure doesn't deserve her...for now...  
  
rockstar: Thanx for your taking your time to review! :)  
  
Angelprinczess29: Thanks for the votes! Really appreciate your review! Hope you keep writing too! ^_~  
  
Squall's angel: Thanks for the reviews and the votes! ^_~ Aww...thanks for the comments!  
  
Renegade Seraph: Well, sorry for keeping you waiting! Yeah, now Zell still has his silly obsession for hotdogs! ^_~  
  
GeminiGirlz: Thanks for your vote.  
  
FloralBlackMoon: Don't worry, Squall is gonna be Mr Nice Guy *and* Mr Mean Ass soon! Thanx so much for bothering to email me regarding this fic! Really appreciated that! Sorry, but Zell still has his hotdog obsession since there were more votes for it than against it!  
  
TigerLily: Aww...thanx for the your review and votes! ^_^  
  
Argent Inluminai: Thanks sooo much for the review! You're a Seinoa fan? Then I hope you'll look out for my seinoa fic 'If Only You Were Mine' that I'll be posting sometime next week! Oh, and in this fic, Rinoa isn't rich anymore because her father stepped down from his position. She just an average teen now. Keep voting just to boost the number of votes for the coupling you want. If you decide to change votes, your previous votes would still be intact. Thanks again! ^_^  
  
Quycksylver: Lol, great idea! Thanx I'll keep that in mind! ^_^  
  
Lady in Blue: Thanx so much for your comments! I really appreciate them! Love ya lots!  
  
trajik007: Lol, okie your votes have been counted! Keep up with it, k? :)  
  
rebekka: Yeah, Rinny sure is, no *was*, a poor thing! Thanx for reviewing! :)  
  
Lionheart: HIYA!!! Lol, don't worry, less people are gonna be mean to her! Thanks for all your votes and I'll keep that Angelo chase thing in mind! ^_~  
  
Squall's girl: Thanks sooo much for your review! Great idea but I didn't want Rinoa to show Squall that he's been getting to her...didn't want her to seem weak in front of him, you see? Sorry but I really appreciate your suggestion! Thanx again! ^_^  
  
Icedragon6171: Thanx for your comments and votes!! Really appreciated it! Well, keep voting, k? Thanx a bunch again! ^_~  
  
SummonerYuna: Hiya! Glad you reviewed! Well, Rinoa's got her revenge now! Did you find it too...not mean? Heh, thanx again! ^_^  
  
Rinoica: Lol, thanx for the review! Zell really is a hotdog lover at heart. And no way are you boring just because you voted for Angelo to stay! ^_~ Personally, I wanted it in the picture too!  
  
Teya: Well, in my fic, Rinoa *was* rich but because Caraway stepped down from his position, they are now just well, a middle class family. Neither rich nor poor. But because Balamb Academy is for the smart *and* the rich, the people there treat her as an outcast. ^_^  
  
Hay lin: Hiya! Aww...thanx for your compliments! Sorry if you didn't find Rinoa's revenge mean enough! ^_^ Couldn't let her be too mean to Squall you see...  
  
Meryll yikes!: Lol, doncha worry! Lots of guys would notice her in future chapters! Thanx for your comments!! Love ya lots too!  
  
Z blade: Thanks for the review! Pleased that you reviewed! ^_~ 


	6. Wrong move, Squall!

Disclaimer: Look at the previous chapters...  
  
A/n: Figured that it'll be easier to read the thoughts if it were in brackets, so I guess I've took care of that. Sorry guys, for keeping you waiting. Whoa, 100 reviews!! I love you guys, you make me so happy!! You guys rock!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Rinoa walked down the hallway to her locker. (Hehe, nobody seems to be bothering me today after what happened...)  
  
"Morning Selphie! How did your date go?" Rinoa smiled as she spotted her cheerful friend.  
  
"It was great! Irvine's so charming..." Selphie sighed.  
  
"Hey Selphie." Zell flashed her a smile as he walked past.  
  
"On second thoughts, I think Zell's charming too! Hmm...oh well, enough talk about guys, I just remembered that I'm suppose to meet Mr. Mclean regarding the project! Catch ya later!" Selphie closed her locker and proceeded to the teacher's lounge.  
  
(School doesn't start until another half hour and I was hoping for Selphie to keep me company...I wonder if *he'll* be there...) Rinoa thought for a moment. "Well, no harm checking!" Without further ado, she was on her way to her designed destination.  
  
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Rinoa stepped into the flower garden. The place still looked as beautiful as before and she wondered who had been taking care of it. Rinoa walked through the large garden looking around, hoping to find the person she was searching for. Unknowingly, she found that the flower path had ended, bringing her to a ledge facing the sea. The breeze blew against her face as a petal rain showered upon her.  
  
"Wow..." Rinoa gasped as she watched the waves crashed against the shore. She never knew that such a beautiful scenery could be hidden behind that dreaded school.  
  
"Hey..." Rinoa heard a familiar voice behind her. She smiled knowing who it was.  
  
"H-hi..." Rinoa blushed. "It's beautiful isn't it?"  
  
"Yeah." Seifer replied  
  
"Do you come here often?"  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
There was silence for a few seconds.  
  
"You were there at the cafeteria right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Umm...okay." Rinoa sighed, disappointed that her attempt to start a conversation was failing badly. (Well, at least he didn't ask me to leave...)  
  
Time passed as the two of them sat beside each other on the ledge in silence, watching the waves.  
  
Rinoa just felt happy that Seifer's presence was near. (Omigosh, don't tell me I'm starting to fall for him...)  
  
"I think we should get back soon. School's about to start." Seifer said.  
  
"Huh?" Rinoa glanced at her watch. "Oh okay..." She watched him as he led the way back to the academy.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
School ended soon enough. Not a single person had played a prank on her. (Well, Leonhart must be sooo disappointed.) Rinoa grinned.  
  
"Bye Rin, I better go now. My Dad's waiting for me to tend the shop." Selphie said.  
  
"What shop?" she asked.  
  
"Oh did I forget to tell you? My Dad just opened a games shop. You know, for Playstation, Gameboy, Gamecube etc."  
  
"Cool. Bye then."  
  
Selphie soon disappeared out of her sight.  
  
Rinoa exited the academy and headed down the sidewalk. All of a sudden, two guys appeared from behind and attacked her. One of them covered her mouth as the other tried to grab her legs and dragged her to the remote alley behind the building near the academy.  
  
(Why isn't anyone around?!) Rinoa struggled and bit the guy's hand. She punched the other guy, causing him to drop her. She soon recovered her balance and tried to run away but unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough as one of the attackers grabbed her and threw her onto the hard ground. He climbed on top of her and started kissing her neck. "Get off me you asshole!" Rinoa spat as sank her nails into his neck and scratched him.  
  
"Ow!" The guy touched his neck and looked at the blood drip down his fingers. "You b***h!" he slapped her across her face.  
  
"Is that the way to treat a lady?" A voice came up from behind.  
  
"What the..."  
  
The mystery person seized him from the back and slammed him against the wall. He punched the second guy in the stomach and threw him beside the first guy. "Make sure that I'll never see you both again." He growled.  
  
"Master Almasy?" The two guys asked with fear.  
  
Rinoa looked up. (Seifer Almasy?)  
  
"Please don't hurt us! We were just acting under Master Leonhart's orders!" One of the guys trembled.  
  
(Damn you Leonhart!) Hatred and tears filled Rinoa's eyes.  
  
"Squall ordered you to do this?" Seifer asked in disbelief. The two guys nodded hastily. "Just get out of my sight now!" he roared. The cowards disappeared as quickly as lightning.  
  
"You ok?" Seifer asked gently. Rinoa closed her eyes, hoping to swallow her tears, and nodded, "Why did you help me? Aren't you Leonhart's best friend?" Rinoa spat his name.  
  
"I hate to see things like this happen and besides, I don't think Squall would actually do that."  
  
"He's your friend, of course you would defend him." Rinoa kept her eyes shut, still fighting back her tears, not wanting others to see that she's just a weak and helpless little girl inside.  
  
Seifer sat down beside her, "If you're sad just cry your heart out. At least you'll feel better." Rinoa opened her eyes, letting her tears flow down her cheeks.  
  
Seifer held her chin and she looked up, into his emerald green eyes. He gave her a warm smile and wiped her tears off her cheek, "You feel better now don't you?" he asked softly.  
  
Rinoa nodded. She didn't know what to do but she found herself slowly leaning forward, wanting to kiss him.  
  
Seifer got up. "We better get going." Rinoa simply nodded again. Her mind was a total blank and she couldn't think of anything to say. Picking up her books, she was about to walk away when she stopped in her tracks and turned around, "Thanks Almasy." Seifer smiled back at her again. Rinoa wished that he would say something, *anything*, but sadly, he just walked away and she was soon on her way back home...alone.  
  
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~*~ At Loire's Residence ~*~  
  
"YOU GUYS DID WHAT?"  
  
"W-We were just about to remove her clothes when-"  
  
"Who the hell told you to remove her clothes?!" Squall roared. "I said to *scare* her not *rape* her, you idiots!"  
  
"Umm...so what about our cash?" One of the guys asked.  
  
Squall walked up to him without a word and punched him in the face. "You didn't even accomplish this simple task, tried to rape her and you still dare to ask for cash?!"  
  
"I-I'm s-sorry!"  
  
"NOW GET THE HELL OUTTA MY SIGHT!"  
  
The two losers quickly made their way out of the mansion.  
  
The butler walked in, "You lunch is served, Lord Squall."  
  
"Kiros, take it away. I've just lost my appetite." Squall said and walked up to his room, slamming the door behind him.  
  
"Throwing tantrums again?"  
  
"Yeah, don't worry Ward, he's still the young little rascal we all know." Kiros laughed.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hey Angelo!" Rinoa greeted tiredly.  
  
"How's your day?" Julia smiled at her daughter.  
  
"The usual." She answered restlessly.  
  
"Your lunch's ready."  
  
"Okay. Mind if I eat in my room? I've got a loooot of work to settle." Without waiting for a reply, Rinoa grabbed her tray of food and hurried to her room. "C'mon Angelo!" The dog followed her up the stairs.  
  
Rinoa set her lunch on the table as she dumped her bag onto her bed. "Sigh..." Rinoa lay on her bed as Angelo jumped up beside her. "Do you think voodoo would work on that Leonhart creep?" Angelo turned its back to her. "I'm guessing that's a no." Rinoa stated.  
  
"Oh well...guess I'll just hafta continue praying that a comet would fall on Earth and smash him..." Rinoa sighed.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Rinoa walked down the usual sky blue hallway to her locker. She stopped as she looked up and spotted the person she hated most. As she tried to walk past him, he stepped in front of her, blocking her path.  
  
"Get out of my way." She said irritatedly.  
  
"Look I'm sorry ok?" Squall said softly.  
  
Rinoa looked at him for a moment before pushing past him. "Whatever."  
  
She opened her locker and dumped her books in. Squall turned her around and demanded in a tone louder than before, "Hey I've already apologized! What else do you want?"  
  
"After doing what you did you think a simple apology is enough? And is it that torturing to say 'sorry'?" Rinoa retorted. With that she took her necessary books and left him standing in the hallway.  
  
(She's one of a kind. Any ordinary girl would never resist my charms. And duh, that was my first apology since...ever! Grr...) Squall watched her enter the classroom and silently cursed himself for being attracted to her.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/n: Wow I can't believe I've finally completed another chapter!! Sorry guys, but I don't think I'll be able to update it for about a month due to exams...erm, maybe just *one* more update but, nonetheless, I hope you guys would keep an eye out for it!! Please check out my fic "If Only You Could Be Mine" that I uploaded recently. By the way, it's a Seinoa fic!! Oh, and keep up with the votes!! ^_~  
  
Quycksylver: Lol, yeah too bad I couldn't keep Squall from not being a jackass. If I didn't, this would definitely be a Seinoa fic instead of a Squall/Rinoa/Seifer fic!! I never could see Selphie with Irvine but I guess I've learnt to get used to it after being around FF.Net so often! ^_~  
  
Flutter: Hmm...all my friends are crazy over Vanness too. No offense but I wonder what's so special about him...he was in town about 2 weeks ago and my friends went for the autograph session and they're still talking about it till today...anyway, thanks a lot for the review!! ^_^  
  
SummonerYuna: Thanks for reviewing!! I'm so glad you liked her revenge! Are you a Squinoa fan? Just a thought though because if you are, then you'll be glad that the Squinoa action is going to roll in soon!! :D  
  
Angelprinczess29: Lol, don't worry, Squall wouldn't be much of a meanie soon!! Or maybe a part of him would remain a meanie but oh well, a leopard never changes its spots!! Thanx for the review!! :)  
  
Icedragon6171: Hey!! Thanks so much for the advice!! Really appreciated that and I'll definitely keep that in mind!! Ooo a squinoa fan...hope you'll enjoy their love hate relationship!! ^_~  
  
irma: Hehe, lots of people have been asking me to do the same thing!! I'm really sorry but Rinoa would remain the way she is cos that would make her relationship with either the two guys more interesting!! Sorry again but I hope you'll continue reading this, k? Thanks for the review!! ^_^  
  
aha girl!: Lol, cute nic!! Thanks for checking out my fic and I'm really happy that you've enjoyed reading this! :)  
  
IsidraC: Lol, well if those two keep playing pranks on each other then that'll make a senseless relationship wouldn't it? Heh, thanks for the reviews, I really appreciated them!! ^_^  
  
Squall's angel: Heh, glad you liked the idea of Squall eating shit!! Lol!! *Blushes* Thanks so much for your compliments and I'm really glad that you've reviewed!! Thanks for the votes!! Hehe, I actually like the idea of Squall being an ass!! ^_~  
  
GeminiGirlz: Doncha worry, Rinoa wouldn't fall for Tidus at all!! Oh and you'll probably hate me for this chapter but this fic compromises of both Squinoa and Seinoa stuff so the Squinoa stuff would be in soon!!  
  
Z blade: Woohoo!! Glad that you're enjoying this fic and thanks a lot for the review!! :)  
  
FloralBlackMoon: Lol, thanks for idea!! I'll keep that in mind and you've made me so happy by reviewing again!! Thanks a lot!! Take care!! ^_^  
  
Lady in Blue: Yeah, I think Tidus looks good with Rinoa too!! He'll like both a Squall and a Seifer combined!! But too bad this is an FF8 fic...:( Hehe, really appreciated you reviewing!! ^_^  
  
Renegade Seraph: LOL!! Don't worry, Squall *did* spit it out much to Rinoa's disappointment but hey, it could be worse!! *Smirks* Anyway, thanx for the review!! ^_~  
  
Rinoica: Hehe, I can imagine Selphie and Zell hopping up and down shouting, "Look, there's Peter Pan!" Lol, thanks for the review!! ^_~  
  
solsethegreat: Thanks so much for reviewing and I'm glad you liked this fic!! Hope you'll continue your fic shortly too!! :)  
  
tigerofthewind: Nah, I don't plan to making those three ultimate b***hes cos I know they aren't and they're my fave FF characters too!! Just couldn't think of suitable names and I thought it would be fun to use names of other FF characters, then *boom* you've got those three 'bitchy' cheerleaders!! Thanks for the review!! Really made my day!! 


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